TURIN, Italy — Felix Auger-Aliassime's late-season surge has taken him to the next level.
The Montreal native made his ATP Tour Finals debut on Sunday, dropping a 7-6 (4), 6-4 decision to Norway's Casper Ruud.
Auger-Aliassime earned his way into the elite season-ending event in Turin, Italy, with an impressive 16-match win streak, winning three of the final four ATP Tour events of the year.
The 22-year-old Auger-Aliassime took titles in Florence, Antwerp, and Basel during that run. He also won in Rotterdam earlier in the season.
He earned a personal-best 56 wins this season, lifting him up to a career-high No. 6 world ranking.
Ruud, the world No. 4, improved to 3-1 in head-to-head meetings with Auger-Aliassime. Both players are in a group with Spain's Rafael Nadal and American Taylor Fritz.
The Norwegian beat Auger-Aliassime in the Round of 64 in Madrid and in the quarterfinals of the National Bank Open in Montreal earlier this season.
Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., is the only other Canadian to ever qualify for the ATP Tour World Finals, having played in the event in 2014 and 2016. Raonic lost in the semifinals in 2016 and lost both of his matches in 2014.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2022.
The Canadian Press
